– We’re talking firework safety and tourism in the Hills ahead of the holiday weekend. And speaking of which, we’re compiling a list of community events for the Fourth. You can find that on our website and help populate it by sending us your community’s event(s). (Unfortunately, the forecast doesn’t look too firework-friendly!)

Also in Iowa, some cars pulled under an overpass during the tornado, but the winds pulled the cars from under the bridge. We’ll show you the images tonight on KELOLAND News. Have you been caught on the road in severe weather? Some safety myths exist about what you should do if you’re driving during a tornado. What would you do?

Schools in South Dakota are downsizing tobacco prevention programs. That’s because tobacco tax money is going to be used in other areas. KELOLAND’s Katie Janssen will bring you the story tonight.

We have quite a full Friday of news coverage … from more flooding concerns in Bonilla, a child identification initiative, a nursing home that’s closing in Pipestone … we’re tackling a variety of topics.

–> A couple crews are up in the Woonsocket and Bonilla area. National Guard is helping the sandbagging effort in Bonilla. And Woonsocket residents are trying to get the water and mud out of their homes. It looks like more flooding could be headed their way.

–> A county-owned nursing home is closing in Pipestone. We’re looking into the impact this will have on its residents.

–> A local mother is trying to get parents on board with a project called Child ID. They will put together digital profiles of children to use in case they need to get this information to police. We’re hoping to have some additional web content for you on this story as well.

Our meeting time is being moved ahead to 9 a.m. next week, so you can expect these entries a little earlier.

With more water flowing through, Sioux Falls city officials issued an advisory Thursday morning recommending people stay away from and out of the flood waters. The city specifically names the Big Sioux River and Skunk Creek.

Where are you seeing increased water levels? Has the flooding affected any of your summer plans?

While it’s causing problems for most, more water means quite the show at Falls Park. One of our photographers says it’s the fullest he’s ever seen.

Also, Salute to the Troops is going on this week to honor past and present military. We’ll have details on the event for you later today.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission announced another crib recall. This time, two million drop-side cribs. We’re looking into this recent recall and what it means for mandatory standards for crib-makers. We have links to the CPSC and more details on this story.

Rain last night added to the flooding concerns for communities in KELOLAND. We’re near Orange City and Lake Poinsett, and we’re also checking out damage left behind by the strong winds. Be sure to send your photos in: uShare or photos@keloland.com.

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Officials have approved AT&T’s acquisition of Alltel … and this topic dominated our morning meeting. What does this mean for Alltel customers? How much longer before the iPhone makes its South Dakota debut? We’re getting your thoughts on the topic on our Facebook page. What are your thoughts? Have you been waiting to get an iPhone? If your current provider is not Alltel, would you leave them to get an iPhone?

We talked about the group threatening to sue McDonald’s if they don’t stop including toys in their kid’s meals. Some of the parents in our newsroom talked about how the toys may be a positive reinforcement for kids who eat their meal. Others discussed the toys as “collector’s items.” It’s getting some discussion on our forums as well. What do you think? Let us know in the comment section below.

We’re tracking what some suspect are the “Barefoot Bandit’s” footprints into the state as we talk with authorities about Colton Harris-Moore’s alleged crimes in Lawrence County. Here’s a map we put together yesterday that shows the recent crime spree:

An interesting story out of Yankton: Residents think the Barefoot Bandit may be in KELOLAND. We had a question about this guy on our Facebook page, so we want to let you know we are covering that story today.

This past weekend’s police log lists quite a few larcenies and burglaries. We’ve run several stories recently about theives targetting unlocked homes and cars. So take this as another reminder to make sure you lock your doors.

EROS has some recent imagery of our state that should show the impact of flooding from a different perspective. Cherlene is looking into that today.

Our meteorologists are tracking more storms this week, in what they’re calling an “active weather pattern.” Learn more about that over on their blog, “Weather or Not.”

While we didn’t see the strong storms expected yesterday, Minnesotans took a pounding from multiple tornadoes Thursday (possibly a record, according to WCCO). Storms moved through many parts of Minnesota in the afternoon, toppling power poles, destroying structures and leaving behind a mess of debris. Our Sports Director Jay Elsen found himself face-to-face with one tornado outside of Albert Lea.

As Minnesota cleans up after their storms, the town of Dupree can relate — they’re picking up the pieces after storms on Wednesday. We’re back in Dupree and will have more tonight on KELOLAND News.

We’re also checking with the Empire Mall to see what procedures they have in place for severe weather. Storms can hit at any time, and we’re wondering how a business keeps their customers safe.